Street-flushing machine.



PTENTED JULY 2, kl907.

l J. L. EEKINS. sTEEET EEESEINE MACHINE.

APLIUETION FILED JUNE 26, 1905'.`

izcr made use of in connection with my invention.

` 13 and 14, in Whichtlie valves 15 and 16 are respecvcharging the michine with water. and compressed air,

^ sure of the charge water during, its influx, means for in- 24, 20, 10, l1 and 9 being open, the inlet-pipe`l7 is cou# are simultaneously charged with water, 'the` whereof forces the air above itslevel and with'in said JAMEs LovE HorKnis, 0F s'r. Louis, MissoURi.

srREEfr-FLUsmNG- MACHINE. K-

v No. 858,602.

Application sied June 26,1905. serial No. 267,085.

To all whom 'may concern:r

Be it known that I, .TAMns Lovn HorKINs, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of St.- Louis, Missouri, have invented certain new and. useful Improvements in Street-FlushingMachinea of which the following is a specification. 3 l

My' invention relates to vimprovements in street flushing machines, and has for its object to provide a structure comprising a street Washing nrachineuvvherefrom water is expelled by compressed air, means ,for compressing such compressed air by utilizing the pres-V creasing tho degree of such air compression, and means for securing the eo] ualization ofthe force with whichthe water is discharged.

In the drawings-Figure1 is a vertical longitudinal view in mid-section of the device of-my invention. Fig. 2 is a detail vertical sectional view of the equal- The tank 1 is divided by the heads 2 and 3 to form the chambers 4, 5 and 6, 4 being'an air-chamber, 5 an intermediate combined air-and-water-chamber, and 6 a water-chamber. At the top, the tube 7 connects, at its extremities, the air-chamber-4 with' the water-- chamber 6, while mid-way of its length it is provided l with the T-joint 8, entering the air-andwater-cham ber 5. At or near its end wh ich enters the air-chamber 4, the tube 7 is provided With'a valve 9 at,or near its other end, the tube 7 is provided with a valve l0, and the T-joint 8 is provided with a valve llf Between the Valve 9 and T-joint 8, 'the tube 7 is provided with a pressure eq/ualizer 12v,- connected to the tube 7 by pipes tively seated. .Between the 24 is seated in the tube 7.

The water-chamber 6 is provided with an-inlet-pipe 17 and one or more discharge-nozzleslS.. The cham'- bers 5 and 6 are connected at their bottoms by the tube 19 in which therval've 20 is seated. 'lhe chamber 5 is provided atl-'its bottom with a discharge vent 21-controlled yby the slide valve 22. The discharge from the' pipes 13 and 14, the valve nozzle 18 is controlled by ayalve 25ml.y

The mode 'of' operation of the machine of my inven-` tion lis as follows; The chambers 4,5 and 6 being empty; the valves 23, 22,15 and 16 being closed; and thevalves pled to the source of Water supply, for the purpose of The chambers 5 and 6, being connected bythe tube l19;

chambers to flow under pressure through the tube 7 iito, the air-chamber 4. Thisoperation is continued until thefehambers and 6 are nearly filled with Water, and thereupon they valves 20, 10 and 11 are closed, and-the vSpecication of Letters Patent.

valve 22 opened, permitting the discharge ofthe water Patented Juiy 2, 19o?.

in ithechamber 5v through the vent 2l. When the Achamber 5 has thus been emptied, the valve22 is Erst closed, and the valve 20 is then opened. The Water in thechamber 6 is thus permitted to flow into the cl1amber 5 until its level is established, and the valves 10 and 1l then being opened,l the influx of water through the inlet-pipell is continued, to the end of yfurther com pressing the air in the chamber This operation may be repeated as often as is necessary to secure the desired ai-r pressurein the air-chamber 4, which pressure is vindicated by the gage 25. When such air-pressure has been attained, the valve 24 is closed, the valve 23 is opened, and the compressed air passesv from the chamber 4 through thetube' 7 and pipe 13 into the equalizer 12,

and outwardly through the pipe 14 into the tube 7, and

so Vinto the chambers 5 and 6, expelling the Waterthrough the discharge-nozzle 18` with the degree vof force necessary vto thoroughly cleanse the street surface.

The valve 9 may be dispensed with ordinarily','but is desirable where the operation of street Washing is begun at a considerable distance from the source of Water-- Throughout the operation of charging the air-charm ber 4, the infini; of water through the inlet-pipe 17 is continuous, and uninterrupted, so that no time is lost during the emptying ofi-the chamber 5.

I have illustrated in the drawing `one lform of press-ure; equalizer which may be employed. The valve 26 is Aslidablyl and verticallymounted withinr'the equalizen dome 27 and is provided with the projecting-tongue 2S,

the tongue 28 being actuated bythe 'bell-cranir-lever 29. A housing 30 isinounted at the' top of the water f.

' chamber 6 and a regulator 3l is slidably mounftedthere- 'and provided with the bar 32` 'lhe' spring 33serys to control the position of the regulator end of the bell-cranklever 29 is connected to the collar 35 by a rod 34:.A The collar 435 is adjustably mounte'don thebar 32 by means of a set-screw 36. The desired pressure being indicated bythe gage A37, which is -=y mounted 4on the Water-chamber 6, collar 35 isvadA justed to fixthe valve 26 in thenecessary position to keep the flott7 of air through the equalizer l2 at thodesired point, and thereafter the movementoi the regulator 3l will serve 'to maintain thevalve 2 6 inthe neces sary position to insure uniformity ofthe air pressure.

Having thus described my invention, -vg'hat I claim as y nevvand desire to secure lto me by the grant o`Letters Patent, is:4

1. In u street-washing machine, n Water-chamber, un slr-chamber,v and an air-und-wstenchambcr, means whereby said waterchumbersnd alr-and-wuterchnmber may 'be simultaneously partially filled reilllng it with water Without interrupting the infiuxof water to the water-chamber, substantially as specified.n

lwith wateri'nnd means for v emptying the, water from the'lustsnamed vchamber und,

liti

2. I n n street washer, the combination of n Wa'tm'- 'l .'chaznber, an air-chamber and a'n`intermedlute chambery vund means for simultaneously introducing water t0 the` water-chamber and intermediate chamber, with means for disconnecting the water-chamber and intermediate chamber and emptying the intermediate-chamber Without in terrupting the influx of water to the waterechamber, substantially as spociiied.

3. In a street washer, the combination of a water-chamber, an air-chamber and an intermediate-chamber, means for simultaneously introdueinf,r water' to the water-chamber andinterinediaie chan'iber,l with means for disconnecting the wateichambei"and intermediate-chamber, and emptyini,r the intcrmediaie-chamber without interrupting the influx of water to the water-chamber, and means for equallziug the outward ilow of compressed air from the air-chamber to the other chambers, substantially as specified.

4. In a street washingr machine, an air-chamber, a water- 'chambci a tube connecting said chambers, a valve con necied to the air-chamber; a 'regulator connected to the' water-chamber, and an adjustable connection between said regulator und the valve, whereby the fiow of air from the air-chamber is controlled by the pressure of the air in the water-chamber, substantially as specified.

5. In a street washing machine, an air-chamber, a watervchamber, a tube connecting said chambers, a valve connected to the air-chamber,v a regulator connected to the water-chamber, and a connecting-means between said regulator'and the valve, 'whereby the flow of air from the air-chamber is controlled by the pressure of the, air in the water-chamber, substantially as specified.

G. In a streetfwashinar machine, an air'chamber, a waterchamber, a suitable connecting-means whereby water is supplied to the water-clmmber, a suitable connecting means of an air-reservoir, a water-reservoir, andy- Bn air-and.

watenr'eservior, connecting.r means between the air-reservoir and the other reservoirs, other connecting means be tween the water reservoir and the air-and-water reservoir, an inlet whereby water under pressure is admitted to the water-reservoir, a discharge-nozzle whereby water is discharged from the water-reservoir under air pressure from vthe air-reservoir, means for discharginr,Y the-waier from the ar-and\\'aterieservoir without interrupting the inilux of water to the water-reservoir, and a means for equuliz- ,ing the air pressure from the air-reservoir durinf.7 the dis "charge of water from the other reservoirs, substantially as specified.

S. In a street-washing machine, an aliuchamber, n watercliamber, means whereby the iniiux of water to the wntcrchamber is adapted to supply compressed air to the alrchamber, a tubular connection between the chambers named, valves whereby said tubular connection may be closed in` proximity to either of said chambers, an equalizer dome mounted upon said tubular connection, means whereby the outward flow of nir under pressure from thc air-chambe`r is diverted through ,said equalizer dome, n valve slidably. mounted in said equalizer dome, aregulator mounted upon the water-chamber, and connecting means between the said regulator .and the last named valve, substantially as specified. V 4` 9. In a street-washing apparatus, the 'combination oi' a chamber arranged to contain water, a sprinkling or washing attachment connected therewith through which the water is discharged'a chamber for containing. a supply of compressed air, a connection between the said chambers, a valve arranged to control the flow of compressed air from itschamber to the .water-chamber, and means controlled by the air pressure within the waterchamber for operating the valve, substantially as specified. In testimony whereof, I have signed my nume io this specification, in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

. JAMES LOVE HOPKINS. Witnesses:

M. M. BuAzILL, ALFRED A. Eicxs. 

